The 151st Open is almost upon us. Royal Liverpool is the venue for the final men’s Major of the year and it promises to be an enthralling four-day battle to be crowned the Champion Golfer of the Year.
Cameron Smith is the defending champion after his stunning victory in St Andrews 12 months ago and is among the favourites to join an exclusive club of back-to-back winners. The Australian admitted he was “holding back the tears” when he gave back the Claret Jug and fired an ominous warning about his form to the rest of the field.
There is plenty of intrigue no matter where you look, but here we pick out eight of the biggest storylines ahead of this year’s Open at Hoylake.
Rory McIlroy
Such is his level of golfing stardom, Rory McIlroy is a story unto himself whenever he tees it up. The box office Northern Irishman produced a stunning birdie-birdie finish to win last week’s Genesis Scottish Open and deny home hero Robert MacIntyre.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Now he’s out to end his nine-year Major drought at the scene of his one and only Open victory. There are few in better form ahead of the Hoylake showdown but question marks remain over his ability to get over the line in the game’s four marquee events.
History is on his side, though. The last time he won a Major – the 2014 PGA Championship – he also triumphed the week prior. Like the US Open, McIlroy opted not to take part in a pre-tournament press conference, showing his focus is fully on on-course matters.
Ryder Cup ramifications
We’re nearing the business end of qualifying for September’s Ryder Cup. A win here for any European or American will surely guarantee them a spot on Luke Donald or Zach Johnson’s side.
It’s all the more pivotal for LIV golfers hoping to suit up for the biennial dust-up. The Open represents the last chance for members of the breakaway circuit to earn Ryder Cup points, so the pressure is on.
Brooks Koepka, who sits third in the US standings, played a practice round with Johnson ahead of Thursday’s first round, saying: “It was fun, we got to talk about it [the Ryder Cup] a little bit and what’s going on, I guess how the team’s shaping up – it’s interesting.”
The five-time Major winner has all but booked his place on the plane to Rome but the likes of Dustin Johnson and Talor Gooch could thrust themselves into contention with a strong finish in the Wirral.
New 17th hole set to split opinion
The course looks a little different than it did when McIlroy powered his way to victory in 2014….
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